Pressure regulator



Jan. 3,1950 1.. B. COURTOT 2,493,111

. PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Feb. 1. 1945 Low: 3. Cammr Tm @W Patented Jan. 3, 1950 PRESSURE REGULATOR liollllcolrtogmohimamignorto llleweatherhead Company, Cleveland, hio,a

ccporationofohio" m Fem l, 1945, Serial No. 575,669

I 1 Claim. (CI. 50-45) 1 My invention relates to pressure regulators and concerns particularly devices intended to regulatedischarge pressure of fluids or liquids delivered from a source at a higher pressure than the desired pressure of the chamber into which the fluid is to be discharged. In order to eliminate the need for separate lower-pressure pumps and reservoirs, it is frequently desirable to provide means for reducing the pressure of a high-pressure source of fluid. Such higher pressures frequently fluctuate. However, it is often important that the fluid be discharged at a uniform pressure to the apparatusinwhichitistobeultimatebusedforelample, refrigeration apparatus or the like.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to 'provide apparatus for reducing the pressure of fluid received from a supply source, and closely regulating the presure at which it is to be delivered. A further object is to provide such apparatus in which the discharge pressure may be adjusted readily over a considerable range.

Another object is to provide a regulator structure, including a valve which is balanced insofar as concerns the higher pressure of the fluid supplied, and which will not be disturbed by fluctuations in the high-presure. Another object is to provide a regulator suitable for large ratios of pressure reduction. Still another object is to provide a regulator structure inzvwhich external means are provided for adjusting the pressure -maintained.

A further object is to provide a regulator which isl'reefromanyeifectsimilartoactingasa check-valve in the event of reduction in the supply pressure. An object of the invention is to provide a valve for pressure regulation which will normally be open or is biased to open position, and which is so arranged that there is little likelihoodthatitwillbecomestuckinaclosed tions fitting the two diiferent diameter portions of the bore.

The piston is made with a tapering portion forming a valve disc acting in cooperation with a valve-seat formed at the junction between larger andsmallerdiameterportionsoftheboreinthe 2 casing. An inlet port is provided for admitting high-presure fluid to the smaller diameter portion of the bore, and an outlet port is provided for taking the fluid from the larger diameter portion of the bore beyond the valve. Furthermore, the piston is so arranged so that the pressure of the discharged fluid is balanced against a resilient force-producing means such as a spring arranged to tend to open the valve.

A better understanding of the invention will be aflorded by the following detailed description considered in coniunction with the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which constitutes a longitudinal section of an embodiment of the invention. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing comprises a casing ll having a bore therein substantially cylindrical with one portion I: of smaller diameter than another portion forming a chamber It. A slidable valve member or piston 14 is provided having a small diameter portion 15 adapted to lit the portion I! of the casing bore and the larger diameter portion it adapted to fit the larger diameter portion I 3 of the casing bore. The shoulder formed at the end of the narrow bore portion I! where the diameter thereof increases, forms a valve seat II. To cooperate with the valve seat ll a suitable valve surface or valve disc is formed on the sliding valve member or piston II, for example a tapering valve surface It may be provided.

The ends of the bore in the casing l I are closed by suitable means. For example, the end portions of the bore may be threaded to receive threaded flttings. In the arrangement illustrated a screw-cap I9 is provided at the large end of the bore, having a packing ring 2| to form a tight seal. An adjusting screw 22 is provided at the other end of the bore for the purpose of varying the pressure maintained by the regulator in a manner which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

An inlet port 23 is provided which communicates with the smaller portion I! of the casing II, and an outlet port 24 is provided which communicates with the larger diameter portion l3 oi the bore in the casing ll. Preferably an annular enlargement 25 in the latter portion of the bore is provided with which the outlet port 24 directly communicates.

A peripheral groove 26 is formed in the portion ii of the sliding valve member It to receive a packing ring 21 in order to form a seal in the smaller diameter portion I! of the bore in the casing II. The sliding valve member or piston It may take the form somewhat of a bobbin or spool consisting of two cylindrical portions joined by a stem or reduced diameter portion 29. One cylindrical portion is represented by the part II oi the piston which slides in the narrow bore l2, and theother cylindrical portion may have substantially the diameter 01 the larger bore II. However, preferably, the cylindrical portion the other end of the piston i4 takes the form of a cylinder ll having a smaller diameter than the larger bore It in order to provide adequate clearance for the passage of fluid to the outlet port 24. In the arrangement illustrated, a bearing portion or guide It, to which reference has already been made, is formed integral with the larger diameter cylinder 30 at the end thereof, and is preferably adapted to make a sliding lit in the larger bore IS. The inner portion of the larger diameter cylindrical part 30 may be hollowed out to form a recess 3! and a vent 32 is provided in the wall of the cylindrical part II to form a communication channel between the hollow or recess 8! and the annular enlargement in the larger chamber It, thus the vent 32 provides a passageway between the closed end of the larger chamber i3 and the outlet port 24.

For the purpose of resiliently balancing the valve member or piston [4 in the open valve position, suitable means are provided which, in the specific iorm illustrated, take the form of a compression spring 88. For supporting or locating the ends of the spring 33 a hollow 34 may be provided in the piston part l5, and a pin Il may be secured to the inner-surface of the adjustable screw 21.

Preferably a vent 36 is provided in the casing ll between the smaller cylindrical portion I! of the piston 14 and the adjusting screw 22 for the purpose of discharging any accumulation of fluid leaking past the packing 21, in order to make its motion wholly responsive to the balance in force between the pressure acting on the larger diameter end it and the compression spring 33.

When the valve is closed by the valve-disc or tapering valve-portion It being in contact with the valve seat I], the pressure of the fluid supplied through the inlet port 23 acts equally and oppositely toward both ends of the piston or the sliding valve member l4 so that there is an exact balance with respect to the inlet pressure. When the valve is slightly open, throttling the inlet fluid, this balance remains undisturbed because the inlet pressure still acts upon the same areas in opposite directions.

Owing to the fact that the inlet pressure is balanced, the operation does not depend upon the relative valves of inlet and outlet pressure,

i2 facilitates manufacture assembly of the apparatus. However, from a standpoint of operation, since only the area A is effective, the portion of the chamber il in which the bearing II slides need not be larger than the chamber I! provided the peripheral portion 25 is large enough to receive the valve parts I] and It and vent II.

The sliding valve member or piston l4 opens or closes until the valve setting is such as to throttle the inlet fluid just sufliciently so that the force or the pressure of the 11 .id at the outlet port 24 balances the force 01' the spring II. For adjustment of the. outlet pressure to be maintained by the valve, the force of the spring 38 is varied. In the particular apparatus illustrated. this is accomplished by rotation oi the adJusting screw 22 which is shown as slotted at 81 to receive asuitable adjusting tool such as a screwdriver, for example.

Having thus described my invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practicethe same, I state that what I desiretosecurebyLettersPatentisdeflnedin what is claimed.

What I claim is:

A pressure regulator comprising a casing having aligned cylindrical bores 01 diflerent diameters with a generally radially extending wall at their Junction forming a valve seat, a valve member having first piston means sliding in the smaller of said bores and second piston meam having guide means sliding in the larger of said bores, a reduced portion-connected to said flrst piston means, generally radial wall means merging with said second piston means and said reduced portion, a radially outer portion of said wall means being formed for engaging said valve seat, that portion of said second piston means extending from the valve seat engaging portion of said wall to said guide means having a minimum diameter at least equal to that of said smaller bore, an inlet port in said casing communicating with said smaller bore and overlying said reduced valve portion, outlet port means in said casing communicating with said larger bore between said valve seat and said second piston means, means closing oi! the end of said larger bore forming a chamber with said second piston means, passageway means or relatively small area formed in said second piston means to communicate static pressure from said outlet port means to said chamber, and means resiliently biasing said valve member to the open position.

LOUIS B. COURTOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 150,386 Young Apr. 28, 1874 297,373 Freese Apr. 22, 1884 298,687 Gooding May 13, 1884 383,226 Hohenstein May 2, 1888 419,440 Hennebohle Jan. 14, 1890 1,131,341 Dieter Mar. 9, 1915 1,233,885 Kuenhold July 17, 1917 2,087,085 Davis July 13, 1937 FOREIGN PA'IENTS Number Country Date 5,203 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1904 7,427 Germany Oct. 11, 1879 28,605 Great Britain Dec. 14, 1896 257,788 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1938 364,878

Italy May 2, 1888 4 toadmit exhaust fluid to the port 24 and tho- Certificate of Correction 7 Patent No. 2,493,111 L January 3, 1950 LOUIS B. COURTOT It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 4, list of references cited, line 60, for the date May 2, 1888 read May 22, 1888; line 71, for Nov. 17, 1938 read Sept. 9, 1926; line 72, forMay 2, 1888 read Nov. 17, 1938; a

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with. these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice Signed and sealed this 18th day of July, A. D. 1950.

JOE E. DANIELS,

Am'atant of Patents. 

